Marital status and abortion.
OBJECTIVE
This article examines the marital status of women who obtained abortions between 1974 and 1994, with particular attention to those who were married or in common-law relationships.


METHODS
The data come from Statistics Canada's publications on abortions, in-patient hospital morbidity data, and reports from the United States.


METHODS
Crude and age-standardized abortion rates from 1974 to 1994 were calculated by marital status.


RESULTS
While abortion rates were highest for single women, those who were married (including common-law and separated) accounted for over one-quarter of all abortions performed in 1994. Since 1974, the age-standardized abortion rate per 1,000 married women aged 15 to 44 almost doubled from 6.6 to 11.2. For most of these women, it was their first abortion, and the majority had taken at least one pregnancy to term.
Wadhera
S
S
Health Statistics Division at Statistics Canada, Ottawa.
Millar
W J
WJ
D000028:Abortion, Induced / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D002170:Canada / Q000453:epidemiology; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D017533:Marital Status; D011247:Pregnancy; D017584:Reproductive History; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors